Can a Flower Bloom in the Sand?
by Search.For.The.Light
Summary: A Gaara one-shot. I don't know, it's sorta cheesey, but I like it. Originally written on Quizilla, it's now edited.    R&R, please!


_Everyone always says that I'm the timid one. That I never have anything to say. That I'm cold-hearted, unresponsive and that I have no emotions. Is that true? No. I have plenty of things to say, but no one ever listens. Nobody ever does. I don't know why, but everyone ignores me. And believe me, I have emotions. But I learned early on that expressing my emotions only got me into trouble. But you know what? I...I want someone to talk to. That's the one thing I truly wish for: someone who would listen to me._

Once again I found myself on the rooftop. I had been out here more and more frequently as my parents' fights escalated during the past couple years. I had to get away, even though I knew it was about me. How I had no friends. Mom was always asking my why I didn't have friends. The answer was a simple one: I had no friends because I was invisible. Like a ghost. But I couldn't tell her that. I knew I was running away from the problem, but I didn't know what else to do.

I gazed out at the desert, letting the cool evening breeze kiss my arms. A silent tear was rolling down my cheek, but I did nothing to stop it. Instead, I marveled at the beauty of my home. I loved my home in the Sand Village. Even though there were no flowers, this desert had beauty of its own. Like the Kazekage. My thoughts strayed to him like the wind. I didn't fear him as everyone else did. I found him interesting. Maybe I loved him. I didn't know. I had known him all my life, and it seemed like he was... softer, now, ever since the Chuunin exams. I didn't know why. No one told me.

"Hana?"

I turned around, startled. My head automatically dipped, and, peering through my reddish bangs, I saw the Kazekage standing there. His expression was puzzled, as if he had never quiet seen me before. I took a deep breath and forced myself to meet him eyes. It was a hard thing to do, both my shyness and shock almost making me flee. But I didn't. "Lord Kazekage, good evening." my voice was soft, so soft that I could barely hear it myself. I winced and looked away, looking at the silvery colored sand.

"Yes..." Gaara stepped next to me, looking out at the desert also. It occurred to me that he had called me by my _name_. How did he know my name? Most people didn't know my name, and those who did... well, it had a rather negative event connected to it. I was still puzzling over this when he said, "You are crying."

I put a hand to my cheek and found it to be true. Blushing slightly, I rubbed my face with the back of my hand. Great. Now I had to embarrass myself in front of the leader of my Village. "Gomen." I whispered. I looked down at my hands, wishing I could run away. But that would be rude. And my mother didn't raise me rude.

Gaara turned to look at me. "Why do you always apologize? Whenever I see you, you're always apologizing. And usually for something you didn't do."

I stared at him, taken aback. He had seen me? More than once? Because I was a Jonin, I rarely ever saw him, since I was usually on missions. The fact that he had seen me more than once was just a bit unsettling. I sighed and gazed at my sandals. "I guess...Oh, I don't know. I think I'm afraid that people will get angry if I don't so..."

"Why?"

"I'm...I don't know."

That was a lie.

I began to grow angry. Why was he asking so many questions? Why was he so interested in me? Those thoughts buzzed in my head like a bee and I shook it slightly to clear it. He had been the cause of my invisibility, so why was he asking all these questions! I bit my lip. It didn't matter. He was probably just trying to figure out 'the ghost'.

Gaara once again surprised me with, "You aren't like the others of this Village. You're more sensitive. Kind. Even when that guy hit you, you didn't do anything but smile." Gaara reached out and touched a bruise on my cheek. His fingers were warm against my cold skin. I closed my eyes again. When I had been shopping that afternoon, a guy had hit me, saying that I didn't deserve to enter his shop. That I was a traitor. There was nothing I could say to that, so I had just smiled in apology and left.

"You forget invisible, Lord Kazekage." I added quietly.

"No!" Gaara's anger made me flinch and he clenched his fist. I gazed at him, startled. He took a breath, letting it out."Hana, why do you said that? You're not invisible!"

Too shocked to really think about what I was saying, my mouth replied, "Tell that to them! To those who ignore me! To those that never even see me! To the ones who just see me as a hassle! All because I defended someone – YOU!" Then, horrified, I clamped my mouth shut. What had I done! I turned around and leaped off the roof, running inside.

I was so stupid! I had just angered the only one who would ever talk to me.

**Gaara's POV**

Over the next couple days, I noticed Hana becoming sadder and sadder. I didn't know why I watched her. She was just so interesting. I couldn't quite figure her out, and I couldn't tell what she was going to do next. Something about the shy, sad girl made me want to protect her and comfort her. But I remembered what she said two nights ago. That hurt more than I was willing to admit.

"Gaara, what's the matter?" asked Temari, coming up to me. We had been training for the past hour or so, and I guess she noticed how distracted I was.

"It's nothing." I said with a sigh.

"It's about Hana, isn't it?" Temari's words caught me off guard and I stared at her in surprise. She laughed. "I knew it!"

"Shut up." I snapped.

"So what's wrong with her?"

Surprised, I looked at her. Though we were siblings, we never acted like one. I hesitated, then explained what had happened that night and she became thoughtful. Silence broken only by the wind fell upon us until I asked, "Do you know why everyone ignores her? No one will tell me."

"You don't know?" Temari looked surprised and I irritably thought _If I KNEW I wouldn't ask!_ But I just shook my head. "Hana's been a Jonin ever since she was little...six, I think. And she was the only one who protested when Father tried to kill you."

Temari sighed. "She was almost banished from the Village, though Father finally relented when her parents begged him. Ever since, the Villagers have hated her."

_Oh._ That explained everything. I glared at the ground, furious. So Hana was suffering for my sake? When she was innocent as a doe? The thought of people making fun of her set my blood boiling. I brought myself up short, examining this feeling. Was this what Uzumaki Naruto had meant about "caring" for someone? That she was number one in my thoughts?

Temari gazed at me."Gaara, how do you feel about Hana? What is she to you?" she questioned.

Startled, I replied, "She's like a light in a dark world. She is so kind and never asks for anything..."

"You're in love with her." my sister sounded smug, as if she had meant for this to happen. I glared at her. "What? It's true. Think about it, and you'll realize it too."

I thought back to what Uzumaki Naruto had said about love. How it effected people. And, with a jolt, I realized that I could very well be in love with the shy redhead. Now that I had that figured out, what was I going to do about it? Luckily, Temari had a solution. "I'm holding a party tonight. Why don't you invite her?"

"I don't know... she doesn't seem to like crowds."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure no one will mess with her." Temari grinned at me, tapping her fan. I nodded curtly, a thank you and an acceptance, mind busy planning just what I was going to do...

**Hana's POV**

I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw Gaara standing near my house. At first I thought he was a mirage and rubbed my eyes, but he was still there. I didn't know what to do or how to react. Was he angry at what I said? I shivered despite the afternoon heat and forced myself to walk over to him. "Lord Kazekage," I murmured, bowing gracefully.

"Don't do that." His words made me look up in surprise. "And call me Gaara." he ordered. I stared at him in shock. He didn't seem mad...but why not? Anyone else would have killed me by now. I was still staring at him in dumbstruck shock when he said, "Temari's holding a party tonight."

I shook myself out of my shock and replied, rather bitterly, "Yes. I know." Everyone was going...besides me. No one had thought to invite me. Or, if they did, they didn't want me.

"I was wondering..."Gaara sounded suddenly unsure and tentative all of a sudden. Then he swallowed hard and said, "You're coming with me. To the party."  
Out of all the things I had expected him to say, that was one of the last things. I stared at him with a certain amount of suspicion. Was this all a cruel joke? But I could see only sincerity in his eyes, a straightforward and honest truth. Hardly believing it, I whispered, "Would I really be accepted?" Again, to my shame, tears rolled down my face.  
In a flash, he was here. His arms were wrapped tightly around me, gripping me in a bonecrushing hug. All thoughts escaped me as he whispered, "Don't cry, Hana, please don't cry."

I sniffled. "Why? Why are you doing this?" I had to know.

He stroked my hair gently, burying his face in the red strands. "Hana, do this for me. You are more important that you realize. To this Village...and to me."

Now I was crying harder. I buried my face in his shirt, sobbing softly. "Have you known...how l-long I've loved you?" That was the whole point of me protesting against his father's assassination attempts. Even when I was little I had loved him, the brave little boy who had gone through so much, even though nothing had been his fault.

He stroked my hair. "Hana...You're safe now. I'll never leave you...I promise." His voice grew quiet. "I love you."

I turned my head to look up at him and he softly brushed his lips against mine. Then, seeming dissatisfied with that, he kissed me once again, passion and love it that single moment. He broke away and squeezed me. "You're not a ghost, Hana. Not anymore." He told me, looking into my eyes.

And I finally believed that.


End file.
